Curriculum Theory · Planning Models

Behaviourism — Curriculum Planning & Types

What schools explicitly teach, implicitly transmit or omit—and how curriculum is planned and organised.

Three Core Concepts

Concept 01

The Four Types of Curriculum

Core principle/rule: A curriculum is not merely a syllabus or textbook. It includes every learning experience a child encounters in school, both intentional and unintentional.

1 · Explicit / Overt CurriculumFormal, written and officially sanctioned instructional agenda. Examples: NCERT textbook, daily timetable, annual syllabus and lesson plans.

2 · Hidden / Covert CurriculumUnwritten, unofficial and often unintended lessons, values and perspectives. Examples: obedience, punctuality, gender roles and respect for authority learned through rules, discipline and school culture.

3 · Null Curriculum · Elliot EisnerConcepts or subjects a school consciously or unconsciously does not teach. Examples: omitting financial literacy, mental health or controversial historical events.

4 · Core CurriculumKnowledge, skills and subjects considered essential and mandatory for all students. Examples: basic literacy, numeracy, science and social studies.

Concept 02

Models of Curriculum Development — Tyler vs. Taba

Tyler Model · Deductive / Top-Down

Ralph Tyler, 1949. Rigid, linear and objective-based; begins with administrators or policymakers and flows down to teachers.

Determining Educational Purposes—Objectives

Selecting Educational Experiences

Organising Educational Experiences

Evaluating the Outcomes

Taba Model · Inductive / Bottom-Up

Hilda Taba. Inductive, grassroots and teacher-centred; begins in the classroom and moves upward.

Diagnosing Needs—students, community, society

Formulating Objectives

Selecting Content

Organising Content

Evaluating & Revising

Concept 03

Curriculum Design Approaches

Subject-Centred DesignTraditional; organised around mastery of specific academic disciplines such as Mathematics, Science and History. Assumes knowledge is objective and separate from the learner.

Learner-Centred DesignOrganises curriculum around students' needs, interests and developmental stages. Rooted in Rousseau, Dewey and constructivist philosophy.

Problem-Centred / Society-Centred DesignFocuses on real-life problems and societal issues. Highly multidisciplinary—for example, a water-pollution project combining science, civics and mathematics.

Quick Reference

Curriculum Paradigms Matrix

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Curriculum Concept	Primary Focus / Definition	Educational Implication	Key Identifier / USP
Hidden Curriculum	Unwritten social rules, norms and school culture.	Students learn values implicitly through the environment.	Taught through practices, not in the syllabus.
Null Curriculum	What is intentionally or unintentionally left untaught.	Omission signals that a topic is unimportant to society.	What is missing—not what is hidden.
Tyler Model	Top-down, deductive and highly linear.	Policymakers dictate objectives; teachers execute them.	Four linear steps: 1 → 2 → 3 → 4.
Taba Model	Bottom-up, inductive and grassroots.	Teachers diagnose needs and design the curriculum.	Teacher-centred, inductive approach.
Subject-Centred	Focused purely on disciplinary content.	Leads to traditional, rote-based, compartmentalised learning.	Discipline-based.
Problem-Centred	Focused on real-world or societal issues.	Leads to multidisciplinary learning and active civic engagement.	Issue / problem-based.